It was a full house at Vancouver Public Schools’ board meeting Tuesday night, as red-clad school staff shared their discontent with the district’s slate of proposed budget cuts.
While the 23,000-student school district has scaled back its proposed cuts, district leaders say it must still trim $8 million from next year’s budget. Vancouver Public Schools has an annual budget of about $324 million.
Vancouver and districts across Clark County are facing multimillion-dollar budget cuts in light of changes to the state’s school funding model, declining enrollment and increased labor costs due in part to last year’s contract negotiations. Vancouver and Evergreen’s budget concerns were allayed somewhat after the Legislature approved about $6.5 million in one-time money for both districts, but both are still grappling with potential deficits.
The district has not finalized any of its proposed cuts, and won’t until it adopts its budget over the summer. But it has proposed a sweeping slate of possible cuts, including the elimination of 11.8 full-time counselor positions, 21 classroom teachers, reduced work hours for counseling clerks and the elimination of 15 custodial positions.
To the 1,800 people who answered a district-sponsored public survey last week, where to make cuts doesn’t seem so challenging: reduce central administration spending, use a chunk of the district’s $8.6 million in savings and cut travel for professional development.
“We have to look at areas as far away from students and instruction as possible,” said Rick Wilson, executive director of the Vancouver Education Association.
Superintendent Steve Webb acknowledged that much in a news release on Tuesday, saying the results show survey-takers “want to preserve direct services to students.”
The challenge going forward, however, will be in finding “sustainable funding” moving forward, once the one-time state money has expired and money from the fund balance has been used.
“Otherwise, we’ll be right back here a year from now, with fewer options to consider,” he said.
Staff speak out
At a meeting punctuated by applause and occasional cheers, meanwhile, counselors described how their students are facing more frequent and more challenging mental health crises. Media clerks, or library assistants, described hours spent cataloging books, helping students conduct research and troubleshooting iPads. Students talked about the impact of their college preparatory teacher, and how the proposed elimination of her job may hurt their shot at the future.
Shana Ferguson, teacher librarian at Columbia River High School, said media clerks are helping students prepare to “be digital leaders,” helping them access print and electronic materials while tracking lost iPads and sending them out for repair.
She also noted how critical that is in light of the district’s technology levy, which voters approved in February. The six-year, $48.8 million levy will help the district pay for devices and digital curriculum for all students.
“I wish I could say that I can absorb the jobs of two other staff members, but the reality is that (media clerks) are indispensable to the digital promise we made our community this winter,” she said.
Kate Burton, teacher librarian at Fort Vancouver High School, echoed her colleague’s comments.
“We want to see the technology grow and develop in Vancouver school district, and we don’t want (students’) technology experiences to be curtailed because we don’t have the staffing to provide sufficient support,” she said.
Cheri Chavers, a Fort Vancouver High School counseling clerk, offered a list of the work she does at the school. She recalled providing a college with a graduate’s transcript so he could qualify for a basketball scholarship, and talked about responding to a teacher’s urgent email alerting the counseling office that a student was considering suicide.
“The needs of our students are overwhelming,” she said. “If you take the clerks away, the students will have less of their needs met because counselors will have to spend time doing the job I already do.”
Vancouver City Council candidate Adam Aguilera, who teaches in Evergreen Public Schools but lives in the Vancouver district, took a more direct shot at district leadership. He pointed to Webb’s base salary of $254,026, as well as to the district’s installation of a private shower in his office, calling the district’s budget woes a “manufactured” crisis.
“Even suggesting cutting a dozen counselors signals that leadership does not value school safety or the lives of our most vulnerable students,” Aguilera said.
